UTM is more than a thriving academic institution. Who says college has to be boring? For Zachary Bruketta and Jacob Owen, deep adventure awaits beyond these hallowed halls.
UTM graduate Zachary Bruketta from Trenton, Tennessee, and UTM senior Jacob Owen from McKenzie, Tennessee, are two of several students who have taken initiative to broaden their scope of learning. Academics can be stressful when they stand alone, which is why UTM offers other courses such as weight training, kick boxing, physical fitness, a myriad of sport electives as well as scuba diving.
“A 200-meter swim and a 10-minute period of treading water is required to allow us to begin learning to scuba dive. For our certification we had to display a whole number of skills like learning to remove and replace gear above and below water, navigation skills and safety skills,” says Bruketta.
The recreational sport of scuba diving has been rapidly growing in popularity over the last decade according to scuba.com. Most who have taken to the underwater world have expressed that the mere experience of simply drawing their first breath beneath the waves was both terrifying yet liberating. This is an interesting take considering that they all spent the first nine or so months of their existence immersed in the warm water of their mother’s womb before breathing their first breath of oxygen.
With little interest to start, Bruketta and Owen took on scuba class with certified scuba diver Greg Hazelwood. Hazelwood sells and uses the brand of Tusa for his class, which Bruketta and Owen have used as their hobby has progressed. Greg Hazelwood has had a subliminal impact on these two UTM students in particular.
At first, Bruketta and Owen found scuba diving to be interesting, which coaxed their enrollment into Hazelwood’s class. After a semester of class in Spring 2017, these two took to scuba as though they were born to dive. Through the class, they learned how to use scuba gear underwater as well as what it takes to be safe while having fun.
“I halfway expected to like it. I didn’t really know enough about it to be sure that it was interesting enough to take on as a hobby, not to mention how much it would cost. But once I finished the class, I realized it was possible,” said Bruketta. “One of my more frequent dive spots is Mermet Springs in Illinois. There are various things to wander through there such as diving through a sunken rock quarry, a 747, a jet airplane, a school bus, etc.”
Though scuba diving is his hobby, Bruketta is a History graduate and now works for the Financial Aid Office on campus. He is also the men’s intern for the campus Baptist Collegiate Ministry. Finally, at the age of 22, ready to spread his wings to the Lord’s plans for his life, Bruketta plans to move on to Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in North Carolina in the fall.
There are many dangers and precautions to scuba diving you must consider before every dive. One of the most important rules to scuba diving is to always take a buddy.
“Always have a dive buddy from planning to travel to leaving for the dive,” says Bruketta. “If anything ever happens, your buddy is there. It is your biggest safety feature.”
Bruketta’s dive buddy, Jacob Owen is a Communications major with an emphasis in broadcasting and public relations.
“It started off not so glamorous. I was looking through the physical activities with Zach who was reluctant at first,” said Owen. “We finally decided to try it out. Once we hit the water, we were practically hooked. I thought it would be kind of a cool way to spend the afternoon.”
There are many reasons why so many have taken to this increasingly popular sport. Perhaps it’s the spectacle of witnessing a whole, other world of beautifully sculpted aquatic life under the shallow, warm waters off the coral reefs, as Bruketta has expressed fascination with. Or perhaps it’s for the elation of diving deep into the unknown, dark, yet breathtakingly gin-clear waters of Mermet Springs in Illinois, as Owen has been captivated by. Or perhaps it’s simply for the surreal pleasure of being utterly weightless and free to move within a three-dimensional arena as both Bruketta and Owen have equally expressed. Whatever the reason, the experience is beautiful and worth the risks.
“It’s a whole new world down there,” said Bruketta. “The experience will definitely take your breath away.”
(Photo Credit/Jacob Owen)
